


the shoes i hope to fill.

by littlelooneyluna



Category: Emmerdale, robron
Genre: Friendship Era, M/M, Softness, Support, rob and aaron are besties who need to support each other, tear-jerker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-27 12:26:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13248216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlelooneyluna/pseuds/littlelooneyluna
Summary: aaron comes back to the scrapyard and robert comforts him through the loss of adam.(set after today's episode)





	the shoes i hope to fill.

**Author's Note:**

> i couldn't help myself. i'm sad and miss adam so here you go.

 

 

It's dark by the time he's finished with his stack of paper work.

He knows he's taken so long only because Vic came in and threatened to burn the place down with him inside if he didn't start talking.

So he did, and she slapped him on the shoulder, left without even apologising for the amount of bodily harm she inflicted on a bloke who was in hospital a few days ago.

He twitches a little as the wind picks up and he looks down at his phone. He's thought about ringing at least twenty times, he's got so far as hovering over Aaron's number and then he shakes his head and backs away.

He _leaves_ it. He thinks it's for the best.

Only,

The door goes, a frame enters through the shadows and the force behind the motion makes Robert raise his head and frown.

Aaron's standing there, black hood still up and hands red from the cold outside.

His eyes flicker a little and then he gulps. He suddenly doesn't know what to say, he looks across Aaron's face and sees that it's not only his hands which are red.

He's been crying, and yeah, Robert expected tears but -

"It all went to plan then?" He asks, voice tentative, slow and he doesn't expect anything more than a nod from Aaron.

He thinks about leaving him to wallow, to mourn the loss of a best mate and business partner but he suddenly can't bear the thought of him by himself.

Aaron finally looks up at him, and he's got a stunned look on his face because he didn't even see Robert's car as he pulled up.

He was trapped in a world of his own, a world without his best mate in it.

He nods his head slowly before slumping down on his desk chair. "If you could call it that." He says, and his voice is still tight from crying.

He sees Vic in his arms and he's hugging her and she's so angry at him.

She's saying something like:

_'Imagine I did this to you, imagine it was Robert leaving you like this.'_

And everything turned in his stomach and she was apologising, throwing Alex's name in the ring to be polite and Aaron just turned his head away.

Now,

Robert's got this heavy concern in his eyes and there's sadness there too. "He'll be okay." He says, like he's sure of it.

Only he isn't, only he knows that Adam's heart is too big for his body sometimes.

He knows that's why Aaron and him are best mates.

 _Were_ , he supposes.

It doesn't sit right in him and he looks up at Aaron. He's frowning and Robert hates thinking he's spoke out of turn.

"I wasn't." Aaron blurts out, and he's thinking about that first night away from home. "I - I had Ed but," and everything is heavy. "I still felt so scared. Ad's got no one there for him."

Robert sees Aaron welling up and stands, comes towards his desk and sits slowly.

"You did the best you could for him." He says, and Aaron can't see that now.

All he can see is Adam alone and him not being able to visit him whenever he wanted in prison.

Have catch ups and laugh and think about the day it would all be over and they could have that celebratory pint in the pub.

Aaron shudders. "Maybe." He shrugs before he sniffs and looks up at Robert. He's still looking so worried for him, and he's pulled back to this morning, he'd felt Robert to try and channel some reassurance with his staring in the cafe.

He remembers how grounded it made him feel.

He's suddenly filled with gratefulness.

"Hey thanks." Aaron says, pats Robert's knee and watches the older man stare down at his knee in wonder. It makes him gulp hard. "For helping today."

Robert just shakes his head all modestly. "It's alright, I mean, I've always fancied being a bit of a criminal mastermind." He's got a smug smile on his face and Aaron already knows he's had a ball.

It makes Aaron smile for the first day all day, the corners rising round his mouth. "Yeah right. You're constantly doing something dodgy."

Robert pulls a face and shrugs. "This feels a bit like a Robin Hood sort of crime though? Helping an innocent man escape injustice. I'm finally doing good."

And Aaron goes to speak, opens his mouth and then shuts it again, deciding to just laugh instead until his shoulders are bouncing a little and he feels lighter.

"Yeah you are." Aaron mumbles, skin pricking a little as he sighs and Robert just nods slowly. "I mean it though, you didn't have to do that for me." And his face is more serious, heavier because he went against Vic in some ways and it seems like a lot to do for just a mate.

Robert just blinks out a shrug. "It's what we do. Didn't have to think twice." And he really didn't.

Saying no never even crossed his mind.

Aaron twists his lip and nods at him.

"I'd like to think you'd do the same, I don't know." And Aaron frowns at the insecurity thrown across Robert's expression.

He leans a little closer and catches Robert's attention. " _Course_ I would." He says, and Robert smiles at him before everything is heavy again.

And Aaron's mind is drifting and Adam's gone and -

"Hey." Robert steps a little closer towards Aaron and wants to catch his tears.

Aaron just shakes his head and looks down. "He was the best," he says. "I - I just can't believe I'm not going to see him again."

And he has his head in his hands, shoulders vibrating for an altogether different reason now.

Robert leans forward, almost sways as he debates whether or not to pull a hand across Aaron's shoulder.

His phone decides for him, and it's Vic.

He feels a swirl of something in the pit of his stomach.

Guilt.

Aaron's drying his eyes and shuddering and Robert looks at him.

"It's Vic." Robert explains. "I should go, she needs me." He thinks and Aaron watches him go towards the door.

"Rob?" He hears, fingers on the handle.

He turns slowly and Aaron's so much smaller and softer in the light, shoulders hunched and hands stretched over his jumper.

"Can I have a hug?"

And Robert feels the air get knocked out of him.

Because _Aaron's_ there and -

He nods slowly, tries to reach out, only Aaron is walking towards him and hooking his arms around Robert's middle, pressing his face towards his chest.

Robert doesn't know what to do with his hands until he closes his eyes and feeling Aaron shudder against them.

"It's going to be okay." Robert tells him and it's _still_  just music to Aaron's ears. After all this time, Robert still makes him feel _safe_.

Aaron nods against him, doesn't want to let go. "Yeah?"

And Robert nods. Promises.

" _I_ need ya." Aaron claws at Robert's jumper a little and then he's said too much and feels Robert froze around him.

It makes things feel different somehow.

Robert unhooks himself and squeezes at Aaron's arm. "I'm here, if ya need to talk about it."

And yeah Aaron gets what he means. He knows Robert better than anyone.

What he's saying is,

I'm here to talk about what happened today because I'm the only one who _knows_ what happened.

Everything else,

Well, he has Alex or Liv or his mum or Paddy -

Just _'not Robert'_ for anything else going on in his life in terms of feelings.

It makes Aaron nod slowly, and he's backing away a little as Robert opens the door and goes to leave.

"For what it's worth, Adam's left pretty big shoes for me to feel on the whole best mate front."

And it makes Aaron's eyes glimmer a little, his heart tug and _yeah_ he's not wrong.

He smiles at Robert, watches him go and -

"It's worth a lot." He whispers into the air. "Mate." He knows he has to say.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> let me know what you think if you have the time!


End file.
